exprimir

Exprimir is a Spanish verb that means to press or squeeze to extract a liquid from a substance, most commonly to obtain juice from fruits or vegetables. It can also be used more broadly to mean extracting or drawing out something, such as information, effort, or value, by applying pressure or persistence.

Etymology and origins: the word comes from Latin exprimere, formed by ex- “out” plus premere “to press.” The sense of forcing liquid from a matter has carried into many Romance languages, yielding cognate terms in related languages.

Usos y contextos: culinarios and industriales. In everyday language, exprimir se emplea with fruits like limones, naranjas, o pomelos to obtain their juice, using devices such as exprimidores or manual pressure. In dairy or agriculture, it can describe extracting liquids from plants or other substances. Regional vocabulary may vary, with “zumo” (Spain) or “jugo” (Latin America) used for the resulting liquid.

Usos figurados: exprimir puede referirse a la acción de agotar recursos, esfuerzos o información. Frases comunes incluyen exprimir al máximo (to squeeze out to the last drop), exprimir a alguien (to milk someone or to pressure someone for money or information), y exprimir recursos o capacidades (to drain resources or capabilities).

Conjugación básica: exprimir es un verbo regular de la segunda conjugación (-ir). En presente de indicativo se conjuga como exprimo, exprimes, exprime, exprimimos, exprimís, exprimen. Otras formas siguen patrones regulares de los verbos -ir, con variaciones según tiempo y modo.